Chalet - a caravan in condesed form

Chalet is an American manufacturer of caravans. It offers both camping trailers for trucks, large caravans for cars, as well as folding caravans ​​in different sizes. And we’ll take a closer look at the latter.

In Poland, folding caravans are not popular. We can more often meet them in the United States or Australia. This may wonder, because folding camping vehicles are easier to store and transport. It should be of greater importance especially in Europe, where there are many narrow roads, and garages and backyards are usually small. Maybe it’s worth to take them into account?

The Ugly ducklings

Chalet is offering a range of eight folding models. And let’s be honest: none of them is astonishing nor from the outside, nor from the inside. After unfolding Chalet looks like a small hut with a roof in the form of two slants. Inside, we’ll find furniture that resemble rather those of the eighties, than designed today. Not this, however, is supposed to constitute the main advantages of these caravans.

The smallest version bears the indication LTW and weighs barely 522 kg. Maximum gross weight is slightly more than 900 kg. The caravan measures less than 4 meters and the inside length amounts less than 2,7 m. But even such modest dimensions allow for placing two beds .

For comparison - the largest model, Chalet XL 1936S weighs a bit over 1 t and a permissible maximum weight exceeds 1,5 t. The total length is approximately 6 m. This model also has a pull-out kitchen area, so we can get more space inside.

An easy transition

Interestingly, although the particular models differ from each other with dimensions, their equipment is mostly identical. A standard in folding caravans Chalet include: water containers with a capacity of approximately 57 liters, sink and a swivel faucet, folding table, small refrigerator, 2-burner stove, radio, roof fan, water pump, and a gas, carbon monoxide and smoke detector.

Caravans from XL series offer much more in standard. There we’ll find, among others, a shower (for external use), a fridge-freezer, 3-burner stove and a double sink. Closed toilet, LED lighting package, or a microwave are also available, but at extra costs. XL models can also feature a full-size, double bed.

However, not the equipment is the biggest advantage of Chalet caravans, but the mobility and ease of folding/unfolding. In this case, you really just need a few moves to turn this little trailer into a real house on wheels. This is well presented on video below:

A new caravan Chalet from LTW series can be purchased in the U.S. for about 15,000-16,000 dollars. More information about Chalet trailer are available on manufacturer homepage www.chaletrv.com